THE catalogue of spending cuts which Bolton Council has been forced to make are just as bad as was feared. And, because Eduction and Arts spends the most, it is here that the biggest savings must be made.

Four branch libraries and seven jobs will go, swimming lessons sunk and clothes for deprived youngsters and school meals badly hit. Naturally, it has not been decided lightly or without heart-searching; committee chair Cllr Don Eastwood described the cuts as "painful", and he is right.

Many of these reductions will directly hit the poorer members of our community, especially families with unemployed parents where domestic budgeting is already down to the bone. And it would be salt in the wound if the rise in charges planned for local leisure services, also announced, hit the disadvantaged even further.

Unfortunately, tough times demand tough measures and when cash must be saved, all services come under scrutiny. No doubt, the Council is well aware of the individual hardship that such comprehensive decisions may mean, but is left with little choice.

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